Linotype-machine.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. R. RGERS. LINOTYPE MACHINE.

L10 -TIoN r No. 890,177. PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

J. R. ROGERS.

LINOTYPE MACHINE. APPLIOATON FILED JVAN.14, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ing characters of different sizes.

JOHN R. ROGERS, or RRoOnLN,-Nnw YORK, AssroNoR TO MERGENTHALER LINQTYE ooMrANY, a CORPORATION or New YORK.

Lmo'rYPE-MAOH'INE.

To all whom 'it may concer/n:

Be it known that l, borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Linotype-Machines, of which the following is .a specification. j My invention has reference to machines wherein a composed line of matrices is presented momentarily to close the face of a slotted mold in order to form type characters on the edge of a metal' slug cast therein, as shown 'for example in U. S. Letters Patent to Mergenthaler, No. 436,531. lin these nrachinos, the mold stands in a horizontal position during the casting action, and 1t `is 'necessary that the matrices, presented edgewise to the mold, shall be adjusted and f -ahncd vertically with' great accuracy, 1nv

order that their characters may appear 1n the proper positions on the edge of tne slug. This alinement isA secured hy means of one or more horizontal ribsv or shoulders lying arallel with the mold slot and engaging ears 1n the lower ends of the matrices, which are forced into close cc` ntactv therewith. It is the commonpractice to use with the one mold, different fonts orr'sets of matrices, hav- It is also the common practice to make the mold adjustablein such manner that the thickness of the slug may be varied at will. -For these reasons,` and in order to insure the -proper locationv of the matrix` characters with reference to the mold under all circumstances, it is usual toformthe alining rib Or ribs on a-separate plate, known as the keeperplate, secured to the mold in such manner that it may be adjusted vertically or replaced hy another plate' having its aliningshoulder at a diiferentheight. It is to be borne in mind that'it is this keeper-plate and its engagement' with the matricesthat determines the'verticalposition of the latter, and consequently thelocation of the characters with reference to the two sides'or edges of thers'lu'g.` A line of matrices is commonly.

supported in ya vertically movable carrier', known as the first elevator, by'which 'the line is lowered 'at'the proper level invfrontfo the mold, after whch lthe mold and the keeper advance against the edges ofthe matrices to' engage therewith.`- 'W enever echan e is madein the font'of matrices,'or in that ickness of the slugs produced, it is necessary that the'keeper shall be 'adjusted vertically Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed January 14, 1908. Serial No. 410,734-.1

JOHN R. Roenes, of-

. and adjacent matrices are assembled in line in frontof mold, thelr lower ears, on the operative side,

and that the movement of the .elevator which presents the matrices shall he varied to correspond, as otherwise the earsof therinatrices would fail to prolperly engage beneath the shoulder of the ieeper, and would be in danger of mutilation thereby.

it ,1s the aim of the present invention to insure the proper and automatic control of tlreelevator with reference to the location of the keeper, a Ld to this end it consists broadly in the employment .of intermediate or coperating parts, by which the location of the keeper and the movement of the elevator,' n

4other'mechanism for presenting the line to the mold, may be mad-e dependent one npon the other.

In the accompanying drawings 'I have shown my, invention applied to a commercial Mergenthaler machine of the present day, the drawings being Alimited to those parts with which the improvement is immediately associated. As to all other parts, the machine may be of any ordinary or approved construction'.

- Figure 1 is a perspective Aview of thesecon l elevator, the top of the vise-frame, the mol arts, with my devices applied thereto, the e evator being in itsuppermost 'position Fig. 2 is a verticalsection from ont to rear through the center of the parts shown in the preceding, Figure, theV elevator being lowered and the matrix line presented to the mold in casting position.

Referring to the drawings, Arepresents the main-frame, and the slot or mold pro er b, in which the slugs are cast. This rnoiil may be mounted as usual, on *a vertical supporting-wheel or disk having an intermittin'g rotary motion and also a motion forward and backwardv face- C yrepresent the so-called keeper-plate secure`d to the face of the mold and having one or more longitudinal shoulders c parallel with the mold-hlot,v to engage the matrices and 'hold their characters 1n exact aliner'nent in vv'vith'the protruding ears or shoulders above that when the and below .the character, so

the

B the mold containingV wise-of the. mold, as in the ordinary Mergenthaler machines.

. will be eneagwl beneath the shoulder on the keeper-mate, as plainly shown in Fig. 2.

E represents the vertically movable support commonly known as the lirst elevator, in which tln` composed line of 111at'riees is suspendedaud bv which the line is lowered to the casting' level in front of the mold.

During the descent o'l' the line, the4 mold stands in its rearniost position in order to avoid intertmence with the descending inatrices. After the elevator E and the contained matrices are lowered, the mold is advanced until the. keeper engages over the matrix ears in the manner shown, after which the elevator ltl is urged upward to lift the matrices and seat'the upper surfaces of the. alininp;*shoulder on the' keeper-plate, whereby all the characters in the line are brought to exact alinenlent horizontally, as usual in Mergenthaler machines.

lt will be observed that the vertical position ot the matrix characters in relation to the mold, vis determined by the keeper, which is adjustable vertically on the mold. By raising or lowering' the keeper, the entire line ol 111atrices will he raised or lowered, and their characters caused to assume higher or lower positions in relation to the nlold, so that the type characters will be castcentrally alone' the slug, or near the upper or lower edge, as demanded, and this regardless ol" the thickness ol the slug, which may bev varied by. the usual adjustment of the mold.

The `keeper may be secured and adjusted by any suitable means, for example, by the horizontal slide c seated in the mold and pro vided with a groove to receive an o/blique or diagonal rib on the back of the keeper, as 'l'ully explained in U, S. Patent No. 846,053.

lt. is vimportant that the elevator E shall be arrested in its descent at such point that the shoulder oll the :ulvancing' mold may pass over thematrix ears, and thatit shall lie-prevented -lroin stopping in such `)os'ition that the shoulder ol'v the keeper will contact with and mutilate the ends of the ears. For this pur pose, a sto p-screw F is mounted in the eleva.- tor E, to contact with the solid part of the n1ach1n'e and arrest its descent. lleretoi'ore thisl screw has been arranged to seat itself on top ol` thc main-traine. As however, the kecper-plate is adjustable in relation to the mold, it is 'necessary that the elevator and matrices shall be. arrested in their descent at )oints corresponding with the position of the, keeper,whatever it may be, and it is to this end that my invention is chieliy directed.

For this purpose, l mount on top of the 1nain,

frame a l'1orizontal'slide G, havin(r at 011e end a 'series of steps y at dilt'erent heights and in such position that one or another of these steps may be brought beneath the stop-screw F by moving' the slide endwise so that the elevator and the matrices will be arrested 'in a second lever I, pivoted to ther elevator E, its

form and arrangement being such that when the elevator is lowered, one end ofthe lever I will contact with the end of the keeper while the other end contacts with the lever II.

As the elevator completes its descent, the

lever I, contacting with the keeper, is caused to swing" about its axis so that' it in turn o )erates the lever Il' and advances the stop-slide G to the proper position.

In Fig. 1,' the elevator and its lever are shown in their elevated positions. The dotted lines indicate thedownward course of the lever with the elevator. and the points at which its two ends contact respectivelywith the keeper and the lever ll'. i It w1ll=bc observed that under the above arrangement, the height of the keeper C determines the. extent of movement of the level' I and the distance which the slide G is advanced. ,ln other words, the keeper determines, through the intermediate parts, the height ol the stop-shoulder presented to arrest the descent of the elevator and matrices. In all linotype machines, a safety device is provided 1.o prevent the machine from being started if the elevator E fails to descend to the proper point.. 'Ihisdevice consists of a vertically and laterally movable rod J seated in the l'rante and connected atvthe lower end with clutch-controlling devices, while the upper end is arranged'in the path of a screw or projection j on the vise, so that the vise in descendingr will depress the rod J. Unless the vise descends to the proper level and depresses the rod J the machine is prevented from starting, in a manner ,well understood in the art.

As my mechanism contemplates the arrest of the vise at dillierent levels, it is necessary to provide a compensating device which will move the stop-rod J a corresponding distance. For this purpose I provlde the stopslide G nected thereto by a horizontal pivot and arranged to pass between the upper end of the rod J and the screw y' so that the thickness presented between these members will correspond with the level at which the elevator is arrested. If the elevator stops at a high level, the thickl ortion of the, member g will be presented. Al", on. the other hand, the Aelevator descends to a lower level, the thinner a corresponding distance,

with a second stepped member g contion in the heig t of the elevator is automatically compensated for in such manner as to insure the proper and automatic action of'A the clutch-controlling devices.

While I have shown my 1mprovementas'g embodied in a Mergenthaler Lor line-casting.v machine commonly-known under the'tr'ade' mark Linotype, and in the' form which I deem best adapted for 'general use, it is to be'.

understood that it may be embodied in various equivalent forms having a similar mode of action, and that it may be embodied in all machines containing means'for adjusting the matrices transversely of the mold slot. I

The essence of the invention lies in socon'- necting or'arrangingtlie means Which present the matrices to the mold', and the' means which determine the adjustment of the characters in relation to the mold-slot, thatthey must receive corresponding ad ustments. While the sto W1th steps is velieved to 'be more simplefan cheaper than anylother, it

Awill .of course be'understood that it maybe replaced by any form ofstop adjustable orvariable in height provided it is operated automatically.

Having described my invention, vI claim' and desire to secure by Letters Patent,- 1. In a line-casting machine, the .combination of a mold, matrices, means for resentthe matrices in front of the mol ,means vfor determining' the longitudinal vadjustment of the matrices in relation to the mold, and.

and means controlled by the keeper-plate" and acting in turn to control the matrixpresenting means.`

3. In combination, a mold B, an adjustable keeper-plate C, a movable matrix-car- Tief E, and a Stop for said `carrier controlled by the keeper. f i

4. As an. improvement in Mergenthaler machines, the movable mold B, the keeper C the matrices to the mold,

vjustab carrier E, a ste ped lstop G to limit the moveyment of .the`e evator, and meansY whereby thelkeeper. adjusts the stop.`

gg" '5,1 The 'mold, he adjustable' keeper, and thejmatrix-elevator E, in combinationwith the stepped stopifor the elevator, and the lefvrs'Halid I through which the stop is actuated from the keeper.

6.' In a line-casting machine, the combination of means for presentin matrices to a mold, adjustable means vfor etermining the longitudinal adjustment of the matrices in relation to the mold, means actuated by the line-presenting .means to control the machine-driving connections, and means controlled by the-matriX-adj'usting devices and acting in turn-to determine the time at which the line-presenting devices actuate the drivingconnections. 1

7. In a line-casting machine, an adjustable keepery C to control the position of the matrices in front of the mold, a member J to automatically 4control the machine-driving connections, and intermediate devices,whereby thelposition of the kee er C determines the time at which the mem er J is actuated.

8. In combination With the matrix-elevator E and the clutch-controlling member J, a movable stop g toarrest the elevator in different positions, and a member g jointed thereto and acting on the member J.

9. Iny a line-casting machine, and in combinationwith an elevator E for presenting a mem erl J controllin the machine-driving connections, ad-

Ie means to determine the alinement of the matrices. in front of the mold, and automatic devices controlled by the alining device and acting in turn to limit the movement of the elevator E and to determine the time of action of the driving connections.

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of January, 1908, in the presence of two attesting Witnesses.

.TIIN R. ROGERS.

Witnesses? ROBERT G. CLARK, JEssIE I. SMITH. 

